Facing Sozin
by Cepheus Noir
Summary: Blinded by her anger at the Boiling Rock, Azula attacks the Western Air Temple a day early- Leading to an opportunity to end the war before it even started. Spirit World intervention. Two Avatars at once, not in the way you expect it. Rated T for later chapters, especially later chapters. AU
1. Azula's Desire

**A.N.- Essentially the POD (Point of Divergence for all you who don't know) is that Azula decided to follow Zuko and co. immediately back to the Western Air Temple. Will lead to crazy butterflies later. There will be two avatars at the same time, but you'll see what I mean later on. so anyways, enjoy! R&R**

**edit- just ironing out the little grammar mistakes and making it flow a tad better (will do ch 2 as well) **

**AZULA'S DESIRE**

As the airship plowed through the sky with relative ease, stalking its prey from a safe distance away, the fire nation princess's mind was reeling. 'They, of all people! How could they betray me?' she thought venomously. She had known Mai and Ty Lee for years, and she had never thought that they would side with the traitor that was her brother. Thoughts buzzed around her head like swarms of spiderbees, and her attention for the first time in years began to fray.

"Your Highness?" She turned. It was one of the officers steering the air-going vessel, confusion seeping out from behind his mask.

"What is it now?" she asked, anger radiating like fire from her voice.

"The criminals have descended into clouds, and we cannot find their trail."

"Well then, isn't it obvious? We follow them." The officer's stance became one of utter surprise.

"B-b-but your high-" she raised her hand to cut him off.

"I don't want any excuses. FOLLOW THAT AIRSHIP!" The officer bowed and simply returned to his post to relay the order. 'Agni,' she thought, 'this is all dear _zuzu's _fault, and he will pay dearly for this. Leading me to the avatar is an extra bonus.' The windows of the bridge became misty white as they descended, losing the last golden rays of solar warmth to the thick fog. After what felt like an eternity, the haze vanished, revealing the renegade airship several hundred metres below Azula. It simply hung there; no change in altitude, direction or speed.

"So this must be the avatar's little hideout," she thought, a wicked smile creeping across her face. The commanding officer hastily approached her, mask and posture yielding no readable emotion. He gave a quick bow to the princess, before addressing her.

"Your highness, shall we begin our assault on the enemy vessel?"

"No, not quite. Find the bearings of this location. Then begin to circle at a hundred metres above. After the sun sets but before the moon rises, we strike."

"Princess Azula, isn't that when our firebending is at its weakest?"

"We will use the bombs to remedy that minor inconvenience" The officer stood there for a moment, taking in all of her words.

"Will that be all, my princess?" Her glowering eyes turned to face him directly.

"Yes, now if you do not follow instructions quickly, I will strip you of your post and have you leave this ship immediately, so unless you wish to plummet to the bottom of this bottomless pit, do as I say." The cold fire so often present in her voice was beginning to falter, and her control was starting to slip, but she still managed to intimidate the officer with ease. With all the technicalities out of the way, and the logistics being dealt with by those beneath her, Azula returned to her thoughts. As the vessel regained height, the last tendrils of daylight were slipping out of the sky, and her assault would begin shortly.

'Soon little zuzu. After tonight, I will be an only child.'


	2. Hasty Escape

**HASTY ESCAPE**

The whole camp was alive with happiness. Aang felt his heart leap for joy when he saw that Sokka and Zuko brought back Suki, Sokka's father and another prisoner. He felt responsible for their imprisonment, and seeing them here celebrating with the group warmed his heart. Even Katara, who had been quite cold since Zuko's arrival, was laughing and enjoying herself.

"Well, I'm bushed," declared Sokka, flopping to the ground.

"Oh c'mon, you can't be that tired," replied Katara, smirking.

"Believe me that thing is just a bunch of shiny buttons!"

"He's right you know," added Suki and Zuko, and all three started going on about how complicated the machine was to pilot.

"Good thing I wasn't the one flying that thing," said Toph, resulting in a lengthy round of laughter. In the midst of it all, a faint buzzing sound emerged in the background, a rhythmic whirring that cut off all laughter. It increased in volume, and quickly filled the entire temple with echos.

"What is that?" asked Aang. Toph pressed her hand to the ground, listening to see if it approached by land.

"Whatever's making that noise, its big, and its flying." All who had just returned collectively widened their eyes in realization as a projectile sang through the air, hurling towards them.

"AIRSHIP!" Without any hesitation, Aang bended the gates of the courtyard shut, just in time to block the offending object. With a loud rumble, the entire temple shook from the explosion.

"How did it find us here?" asked Toph, who had joined Aang by keeping the metal gates shut.

"They probably followed us back," said Zuko, concern flickering across his face.

"Or they were lead here," retorted Katara, scowling.

"Katara, not the time," chided Sokka, who looked to his father for support. The projectiles were exploding outside, and time was running out to make a plan.

"Everyone," started Hakoda, voice booming, "We'll split into two groups to avoid Azula capturing us all. Haru, the Duke, Teo, Chit Sang, and I will go one way, and the rest of you go another, so that the attackers spread thin. We'll meet up soon." Sokka and Katara's faces fell when they heard this, but they knew that this was necessary. Haru, using quick thinking, bended a tunnel for the first group to escape, and the rest of the group quickly rushed through. Hakoda began to leave, but was pulled back by his children into one last hug.

"Take care of each other," he murmured. "I'm proud of both of you, and you're mother would be to."

"Uh, hate to break up the touch feely moment," grunted Toph, "but this thing's gonna give any second now." Both she and Aang were dripping with sweat from bending to keep the gates shut and the temple from falling off the mountain. After a final good bye, Hakoda disappeared into the tunnel and the others began to board Appa.

"Toph, you ready?" asked Aang, preparing to make a run Appa with Toph in hand.

"Whenever you are, twinkle toes." Aang switched to airbending and ran to grab Toph. The gates began to give way and it sounded like a support column snapped. Grabbing her, he unfurled his stave and glided quickly to Appa, landing at his reins, sending Toph tumbling into Suki.

"Appa, yip, yip!" The sky bison lifted into the sky as the gates finally crumbled, and a twinge of pain sprang in Aang's heart at the sight of bombs pock-marking the temple. However, there was only one thing that Zuko was focused on. In front of them, glowing under the light of her azure flames, glaring evilly at the group, stood Azula atop a Fire Nation airship. She began to laugh maniacally.

"What so funny Azula?" asked Zuko, interest piqued.

"Well, soon I will be crown princess to the Fire Nation, and you will be dead at the bottom of a GORGE!" She unleashed a barrage of blue fire, performing katas with a murderous glint in her eyes. Those who could still 'see' in the air were making sure each shot missed the group, while Aang pulled Appa into multiple defensive dives. Zuko looked like he was ready to jump off the bison and attack his opponent, but Sokka and Toph pulled him down back into the saddle.

"She's goading you on, and we can't have you go up against her, even as a distraction," said Sokka. Just then, a fireball brushed past his head, "ACK! DUCK!" Appa quickly nosedived into the canyon to avoid the firebender's fury. Aang's mind was looking for the fast way to lose her. The canyon quickly fell behind them and all that lay ahead was a wall of cloud. 'That'll do,' he thought reluctantly.

* * *

The airship followed above, unaware to what the bison was doing below. Azula was infuriated that she had let them slip out of her hand so easily. It was unacceptable! The mood inside the ship was that of mad scrambling, which only incensed her further. Suddenly, alarm bells were blaring and there were officers scrambling to reach her.

"Your majesty," they started, panting and stammering.

"What are you doing, the avatar is escaping!" Her nerves were taut, almost to breaking point, and here these officers was only making things worse.

"Well, that's a Northern Hurricane princess. They are nearly impossible to fly in and no one has survived those conditions." Those words suddenly made everything in Azula's eyes seem so much brighter.

No one survived.

It would be a shame that her vengeance would not be put to good use but her future was secured. No Avatar, no Zuko, and no one in the way of her own power. The Airship suddenly took an abrupt jolt to the left and the last thing she remembered was a sharp pain in her side and blackness swarming her vision.


	3. Typhoon

**TYPHOON**

It began as a maze of clouds that quickly gave way to rain. The scenery made Aang feel uneasy, but he pushed those thoughts to the back of his mind. Most of the others were exhausted, confused, and somewhat sleep deprived. Katara was busy glaring daggers at Zuko, while Suki and Sokka had already cuddled together and fallen asleep.

"So Twinkle toes, where are we headed?" The question left a pregnant silence in the air, filled only by the increasing rain. It was a few minutes before anyone said anything.

"Um, my parents used to have a summer vacation home on Ember Island, and no one goes there anymore. We would be hiding in plain sight," said Zuko, hoping he could ease over the tension.

"Oh sure, so Azula can come finish us off in the comfort of your own home." Katara's words were like poison to everyone's ears. Aang was quite shocked at the waterbender's hatred.

"Katara, please. It wasn't Zuko's fault," pleaded Aang, but the roar of the wind became too strong for the argument to continue. By now, Sokka was fumbling with himself to keep the loose items around him down, as they'd woke him up. Suki was still sleeping like rock, even as the storm grew to fever pitch. Toph, Zuko, and Katara were trying to communicate using gestures, but even that was becoming difficult in the storm. Crashing waves, howling wind, a dark featureless sky, suddenly he was back one hundred years ago, holding on to Appa for dear life, death ready to swallow him whole. A scream brought Aang back to the present. They were suddenly losing altitude quickly and it seemed Appa was going to nosedive straight into the ocean. Everyone had looks of sheer terror on their faces, and Aang was completely helpless to stop it. Without access to the Avatar state, there was no way they would survive this storm.

"Aang!" It was Katara. The girl he loved. The girl he might never see again. So, believing these were his last moments, Aang looked over to Katara, and kissed her with all his might.

"BRACE FOR IMPACT!" screamed Suki. And then blinding pain shot out of the lightning wound. He felt his seventh chakra open completely, and suddenly the power and voices of thousands of Avatars flow through him. All around him, he saw his friends and his bison holding for dear life.

_**We need a sanctuary now, does not matter where.**_Then the impossible happened. As he bent to lift his friends out of the water, a golden vortex laced with the voices of his past lives, and the magic of the spirit world, erupted from his hands. It shot tendrils in all directions, quickly taking all of Appa's passengers, and the bison himself. The anomaly then turned on Aang, and he fell through. 'Well I'm dead, aren't I' thought Aang as he rushed through. In the midst of it all, the words of Huu came back to his mind. _"Time is an illusion and so is death." _Strange. A circular island seemed to rushing up to meet him, and Aang slipped out of consciousness.

* * *

High in the mountains, the half moon was already rising. Gyatso loved this time of night when the temple was resting and the air felt still. Walking past the murals of monks past, he took time to unwind from the stresses of the previous day. His thoughts gradually shifted toward his pupil, Aang, or more precisely, _Avatar _Aang. It seemed as if only yesterday he was still Aang, the tiny boy who was picking his bison companion and had a natural talent for airbending, and now here he was, training to be the Avatar. Tomorrow he would be off to Omashu to visit a friend, and meet with the airbenders from all the other temples around the world. Even the minor temples scattered across this island would be there. They would need to discuss the future and what could be done to prepare for war. Fortunately, Gyatso would not have to sit through such a grim meeting, but sadly he knew Aang would. This was too much responsibility to place on such young shoulders. It was only at this point he realised that he had wandered to Aang's room. 'Maybe I should check on him, just to see how he's doing,' thought the elderly monk. The door creaked as he slowly opened it, revealing something that scared the wits right out of Gyatso.

Aang was sitting, meditative stance, in mid-air, surrounded by a ball of wind, eyes and tattoos glowing gold. Gyatso braved the display to try to reach Aang, with minimal success. However, the tattoos and eyes changed and became white after a few seconds. Gyatso seized the opportunity and rushed to grab Aang, who left the Avatar state shortly after the elder monk grabbed him. The boy returned to the ground, the ball ceased to exist and the markings returned to their usual cerulean.

"Gy-Gyatso?" The boy seemed extremely dazed. That would not be a surprise seeing that he had just come out of what seemed to be an avatar state like no other.

"Rest Aang, we can talk about it in the morning," murmured Gyatso, bidding the boy to bed. As he left the room, he could not help but ask, "Why did he enter into the Avatar state?"

**A.N.- And so the plot begins! Yes there are currently two Aangs in the world, ages 12 and 13. The confusion will make for quite a mess.**

**The weird golden vortex will be explained in the next few chapters; No Aang cannot summon that or create it out of his own free will. Hints to it are in the chapter**

**As always, R&R**

**enjoy!**


	4. The Lion Turtle

**A.N.- Hello everyone, sorry for delaying the update, just had editing and proofreading to do. So without much further ado here's the chapter :D**

**THE LION TURTLE**

A lush green forest, full of exotic birds swarmed before his vision.

"Am I in the spirit world?" he asked himself.

"Hey guys! Aang's awake!" Turning around, Aang saw Suki calling Sokka and Toph over. It seemed as though Toph was limping and Sokka seemed to have a pained look on his face.

"Where are we?" asked Aang, his worry beginning to show.

"Actually Aang," started Suki.

"we were going to ask you that question," finished Sokka.

"Wait, where's Katara and Zuko?" The monk's worry became full-fledged anxiety.

"Sparky's been in a panic since he woke up, so he went off to meditate over by that tree," replied Toph, frustration evident in her tone. Sure enough, there was Zuko, back to the group, in lotus position. Only the faint rising and falling of breathing was noticeable. Yet something else grabbed the boy's attention more thoroughly. Nearer to the makeshift camp, there was a lumpy mass covered in sheets and blankets. It seemed even stiller than Zuko did. Then it clicked. 'Katara!'

"What happened to her?" Sokka looked extremely pained, so Suki jumped in to answer.

"She was losing blood. We don't know what happened, but the only reason she's alive right now is cause of her bloodbending." Aang's face paled, losing what was left of its colour. This left a very tense silence hanging over the teens. "We were hoping with some of that Avatar magic, like you did while back, and maybe help speed things up," stated Sokka bluntly, earning him a smack in the back of the head. 'While back?' thought Aang. 'What did she mean by a while back?'

"How long have I been out?" ventured the airbender.

"'Bout three days," stated Toph.

"But that still doesn't answer the question. Aang, do you have any idea where we are?" Sokka's question held no weight to Aang while Katara was still unwell. He quickly made his way over to her side, leaving the others gobsmacked at his one-mindedness.

"Hey!" Toph called, "You can't just leave like that! I can barely 'see' as it is, you're just making this more annoying!"

"You were never bothered by not seeing before. Did you burn your feet again?" replied Aang, puzzled.

"Never mind that just go work your magic on your girlfriend," she spat. The boy blushed profusely, but quickly turned away to face the mass of blankets, earning snickers from everyone within earshot. Even Zuko, who was supposedly meditating, chuckled a little. Sitting down in front of her, Aang began thinking about his options. He didn't learn any healing while he had studied at the North Pole, so the possibility of him healing her was nil. A moment of clarity suddenly passed through him. 'I may not know healing, but one of my past lives may be able to.' So he centred his breathing, letting his chi flow through his body. It flowed with ease since the accidental opening of the seventh chakra, which he had yet to fully understand. 'I need to see Roku,' thought the boy. Sure enough, the glowing presence of the elder firebender appeared on the other side of Katara, a wane smile on his face.

"It's good to see you again Aang," The airbender was relieved his attempt to contact Roku worked and returned the smile.

"Roku, I have to ask you, did you learn any healing from the waterbenders?" The elder firebender's expression became one of confusion.

"Aang, when I studied waterbending, I went to the Northern Water Tribe. In my day, they had even stricter roles for benders. Men were forbidden from learning healing, just as women were forbidden from learning fighting techniques." The boys face looked crestfallen, losing what he thought would be his answer to Katara's blood loss. She seemed so pale, and her breathing was shallow. Turning back to Roku, he was surprised to see the elder bender's calm expression.

"Aang, I may not know how to heal, but that does not mean that your other lives do not." The boy looked dumbfounded. 'How did I not see that' he thought to himself. "Don't be so hard on yourself, Aang. I didn't have contact with any other avatar other than Kyoshi until one day while I was on a beach. I meditated after practicing waterbending, and instead of Kyoshi, I saw Avatar Kuruk instead. That was quite the episode!" Aang gave a hearty laugh at the man's words.

"Did Kuruk know how to heal?"

"He was from the Northern Water Tribe."

"Oh," responded Aang, crestfallen. "Then who knows how to heal?"

"Your most recent life that knew healing was Avatar Yangchen, an airbender." Aang's heart lept at that response.

"Thank you, Roku. So would I contact her the same way I did with you?"

"Yes Aang, however it does require more concentration to contact a life further from your own." After a quick nod of appreciation and gratitude, the image of the elder Avatar faded into nothing. Aang quickly centred his concentration on one thought, 'Avatar Yangchen.' The minutes rolled into hours and nothing seemed to happen. Katara was still breathing too lightly, and the stakes were mounting. In a moment of desperation he shouted "Why are you so impossible?! Avatar Yangchen, where are you!?" startling those nearby, having tuned him out hours ago. In this fit of rage, Aang's vision went white and for a moment, the light blinded him. A soft voice came to his ears, scolding him as if he was a toddler caught red handed.

"Young Avatar, your frustration should not be used to contact me. An airbender should never resort to such violent displays to achieve their means." As his eyes adjusted, he saw standing before him a woman, her hair shaved to the crown of her head, revealing the turquoise arrowhead on her forehead. She wore a serene expression and carried herself with the light grace of an airbender. Realising his mistake, the young monk lowered his head in apology.

"I never meant for my anger to take hold of me like that. Forgive me Avatar Yangchen." She smiled, satisfied with his apology.

"I know you called me here to help heal your friend Katara. You do have a very large heart young one."

"So can you do it?" asked Aang, his eyes wide with anticipation.

"Of course. In fact, you are currently channeling my life through yourself as we speak."

"You mean like in the Chin Village or at the Fire Sages Temple?"

"Exactly young Avatar, so do not worry." Finally taking in his surroundings, he noticed that they were not those of the tropical island his friends were on. He was high atop a mountain, similar to those in the southern islands, clouds rising and falling in between the sharp peaks. Confused, he was trying to find the right words to ask about his current situation. "I know you are wondering where we are," responded the elder bender calmly. This left Aang even more confused than before, but she continued. "This is your sanctuary Aang. We are inside your mind, so while you are channeling my life and healing abilities through yourself, you remain here." The young bender realising she had finished, spoke up.

"So then where is the island we're on in the outside world?"

"A stopover to your sanctuary." Then it clicked. Whatever Aang had done pointed a path back home.

"So I'll find sanctuary at the Southern Air Temple?"

"Precisely young one. There you will find answers to your dilemma with the Firelord." This was a sobering message that caught Aang off guard. Yangchen glanced back to him and let out a long sigh. "My work here is done. Do not worry young one, there will be plenty of time to answer all your questions. I must go now, but we will meet again. All in due time Aang. All in due time" She then turned around and walked off into the background and soon enough, she was gone. As soon as she left, the scenery around him returned to that of the island, albeit much subdued. The sun had long set, and night had set in. He looked down at Katara, relieved at the sound of her breathing. Deep, even, and calm. He let out a sigh of satisfaction, thanking Yangchen for her healing abilities.

"Hey twinkle toes! Took ya long enough." Aang turned around, only to behold a bizarre sight. There sat Zuko, holding a flame in both hands, much to his chagrin it seemed. Around him sat Toph, Suki, and Sokka, roasting exotic fruits on the end of skewers held directly over the flames, relishing every moment of it.

"Long story short, trying to make a fire on the 'ground' doesn't go so well," retorted Suki, trying to hold back the laughter, while Zuko shot her a glare.

"So Aang," drawled Sokka, mischievous grin painted on his face. "I know you're the avatar and all, but I didn't know you could _gender_bend!" Laughter erupted and the youth hid his face in his hands from the embarrassment.

* * *

All she could remember was Aang. What a passionate kiss that was. She never realised that his feelings extended that deep, yet here she was lost in her thoughts, recalling that near death romantic experience. She had drifted for days, not sure whether she was alive, dead, or in the spirit world. Occasionally she would hear voices, mostly Sokka and Suki. Sometimes she heard Toph, and once she recalled hearing Zuko. Pausing at that name made the waterbender convulse with disgust. She was sure that he was the reason Azula found them, there was no question about it. It was because of that fiasco that she was forced to use bloodbending on herself for her own survival. It had felt like she was pulling her blood throughout her entire body, and that had set her entire being on fire. Yet now as she was thinking about all this she heard faint voices in the distance. They quickly became more distinct, and before she realised it, they were as loud as drums to her ears.

"Twinkle Toes, this island isn't made of earth. I can only see fuzzy bits, kinda like when we were in the desert." It was a young girl's voice, but it was the words she spoke that surprised her.

"Not made of earth? How is that even possible? Avatar Yangchen said this was a stopover to the Southern Air Temple. It must be an island." She recognized the boy's voice instantly. The young airbender she discovered in iceberg. Aang. She began experimenting with her limbs, only to hear her brother scream, "IT'S ALIVE!" It was then that the waterbender ventured to open her eyelids. The glow from the fire was too intense at first, but here eyes adjusted quickly only to see a mass of bodies dog pilling her. A flurry of voices filled with a spectrum of emotions assaulted her, and she could not make heads or tails of any of it.

"Everyone, one at a time," she said voice hoarse from disuse. The cacophony of sound died down and those piled on top of her gave her space. After a few minutes where explanations were given, Katara seemed relieved. One, they were all still alive and Aang had spent a great amount of time healing her wounds, for which she was very grateful for. "So now that I'm caught up, does anyone know where we are?"

"We already established it's made of something hard that isn't earth," noted Toph.

"So what if it's made of metal?" asked Suki.

"No, I'd be able to bend it if it was," replied Toph, dismayed. Sokka's eyes suddenly lit up.

"I know!" he announced, nearly knocking over the pile of grilled fruit. "We're sitting on top a giant turtleduck like the ones Zuko talks about in his sleep!" The older firebender looked mortified as the others tried to contain their snickering.

"I don't talk in my sleep," he mumbled, "Besides; turtleducks are about this big," gesturing with his hands. "I've never seen a turtleduck the size of an island." Even if she didn't like Zuko, she did concede he had a point. Yet these words brought her back to memories from the Wan Shi Tong Library she had not brought up in months.

"_Hey," said Aang, showing her and her brother images of an enormous turtle with the face of a lion towering above a diminutive figure. "Look at these weird lion turtle things." Sokka shrugged his shoulders and simply said, "Eh, I've seen weirder," returning to searching through books._

Her brow furled as she wrapped her head around the possibility that they might be on such a beast.

"Katara?" asked Aang, interested in her change of expression.

"We might not be on a giant turtleduck, but what about lion turtle?" A look of clarity flashed through the Avatar's eyes, and even her brother tuned in to the memory.

"A lion turtle?" stated a confused Suki.

"What on earth is that?" asked Toph, nearly as bewildered as the Kyoshi warrior was.

"We found an image of giant turtle with a lion's head in the library." This left everyone satisfied and believing the notion of sitting atop 'Lion Turtle Island'.

"So if we're on a Lion turtle, how do we get off?" asked Zuko, working things over in his mind.

"Only one way to find out," remarked the bald boy. He unfurled his stave and quickly took to the air.

"AANG!" she cried, but he was already out of earshot. She began looking around her, desperately looking for a trail. "Which way to the nearest shore?" she demanded, stunning everyone left.

"It's over that way, but-" Sokka did not have a chance to finish his thought because in that instant, the waterbender bolted for the shore, leaving the rest of the group yelling into the dark. Scrambling through the foliage, she quickly came to the edge of the forest, the roar of rushing water getting ever louder. As she broke through the trees, she quickly waterbended herself a sheet of ice and began skirting the edge of the turtle, hair whipping back furiously. After several minutes of searching, she saw a figure dressed in bright yellow with an orange sash standing atop what looked like a giant hand. As she approached, she saw the face of the great creature. Its head appeared to be larger than one of the murals at the air temple, with nearly as much detail. It had giant tusks protruding from its lower lip and its mane made its presence even more awe-inspiring. It addressed Aang in quietly, yet its voice sounded layered with spiritual energy, more powerful than the Avatar in the Avatar State. She hovered on her ice sheet; waiting for Aang to finish is discourse with such a magnificent being. The Lion Turtle then finished his address, and dipped his head underwater, leaving Aang near Katara's ice floe. She quickly raced over to him so that he could get out of the water faster. She pulled him out of the water and saw he had an abnormally large smile on his face.

"What did he say?" she asked, her curiosity killing her internally.

"He said that I will be able to restore the world to true balance and that the answers are at the Southern Air Temple. He said the spirits intervened to make sure I didn't die there." He looked relieved at these words, and for once since the invasion, there was hope in his eyes. She wasn't sure whether it was the exhaustion or her flurry of emotions, but she felt her heart flutter looking at the hopeful boy. Clearly the exhaustion was addling her brains.

"Katara are you okay?" He asked.

"Yeah. I'm just glad that he's pointing us in the right direction," she said face flushing. "Wait 'till Sokka hears that we've got clues on how to defeat Ozai," she remarked.

"Yeah, he'll go into over planning mode," he laughed. "It's a good thing we've got Zuko to help him and Suki to calm him down!" The mention of the Fire Nation prince did not help her mood but she could bear it.

"We should get back. I mean honestly Aang, flying away and searching for a Lion Turtle's head at night while leaving everyone else high and dry is not a wise idea," chided the waterbender.

"Yeah, you're right, Katara. C'mon. We'll fly back. Just remember to hold on tight," stated the boy. Together they flew back to the camp, expecting a reckoning from the others.

* * *

_**Western Air Temple**_

"Mother Dawa!" called the young nun, panic running through her veins.

The Head Nun was in the herb gardens, supervising the industrious nuns gather the necessary ones for the medicines required in the market towns above the temple. The appearance of this disheveled nun piqued her interest indeed.

"What is it, Sister Uttara? Why are your robes in such a condition?" asked the elder airbender, a mask of patience on her face. She knew the young airbender was probably sneaking out, but now an emergency had arisen.

"I was up on top of the cliffs, on the outskirts of the towns, when a giant flying monster appeared in a gold flash in the sky. It came barreling towards me, but turned the other way at last minute. It crashed shortly afterward," recounted Uttara, worry filling her words. This news was indeed alarming and caught the attention of all the sisters in the garden at that time.

"Sister Uttara, get Sisters Shanti, Jaya and Lhatso and meet at the bison stables. The rest of you, back to your duties." As the elder nun rushed off to the stables hoping to get to the crash site quickly, she could not help to wonder what the 'monster' was. She used her airbending to give her an extra push in her step, shortening the time required to reach her destination. She pushed aide many surprised girls, leaving a flurry of gossip in her wake. She arrived at the stable, shortly followed by the sisters who had been summoned.

"Now," began Mother Dawa, "I'm sure Sister Uttara has filled you in on the situation at hand." The three gave curt nods of agreement. "Well, we are going to investigate and see what on earth this is and whether it is a threat to the temple and even the island." The five women quickly boarded a reluctant sky bison.

"Yip, yip," cried Uttara, and the bison promptly took off in the direction of the crash. It marred the skyline and could be seen for miles around. The elongated metal sphere was a deep crimson and bore the insignia of the Fire Nation. 'Why would the Fire Nation have such an odd flying device, and why is it here?' thought Dawa. As they came in for a landing, a few locals who had gathered quickly parted to make way for the giant beast. Dismounting with the poise only an airbender carried, they approached the large wreck.

"Hey, there's someone coming out," pointed Shanti, and all of those gathered turned their heads to see what had drawn the nun's attention. A girl, no older than fifteen wearing Fire Nation armour limped out of a hole in the side, looking completely dazed. Quickly, Dawa and Jaya airbended over to her and caught her as she fell. Her eyes were unfocused and she was muttering something about a certain 'zuzu', whatever that was.

"Lhatso," called the head nun, "get back to the temple immediately. Tell them we need a bed for an injured girl." Without batting an eyelash, Lhatso took her stave and flew back toward the temple with haste, while she and the other three women helped the patient onto the bison. In the commotion, Dawa stopped and wondered where the girl had come from. 'Wherever she's from, she must have danger following her every step."

**A.N.- Avatar the Last Airbender Characters do not belong to me**

**Mother Dawa, Uttara, Shanti, Jaya, and Lhatso are all OC's of mine, and most will not appear again. MOST**

**ABg491528- Yes this is sort of AU. The only difference is there's a significantly larger population of airbenders/population on the Airbender territories. Other slight differences will emerge/ come to light later but that's all in due time**

**So anyway**

**R&R**

**Peace,**

**Cepheus**


	5. Rude Awakenings

**DISCLAIMER: The Characters of Avatar the Last Airbender do not belong to me and are the creative musings of Michael Dante Di Martino and Bryan Konietzko**

**A.N.- Aang(Pre-Iceberg Aang)**

** Aang(Post-Iceberg Aang)**

**RUDE AWAKENINGS**

The morning was a pleasant relief after all the tension of the previous days. Zuko felt at ease as he performed his morning breathing exercises. Thanks to the information that Aang provided, their purpose and sense of direction had returned in spades. If it had not been for these breathing exercises that uncle taught him all these years, he was not sure what condition his nerves would be in. Uncle, he thought with an audible sigh. He still had not seen the Dragon of the West since the Day of Black Sun, and in his heart, all he desired was the forgiveness from this man. As the rest of the camp began waking up, reluctant and restless, Zuko used his inner fire to release a flame to finish grilling the remaining food. As much as he felt annoyed by this use of firebending, he did like the taste of grilled...um...whatever this fruit was.

"Finally, we get to leave this freaky turtle thing!" exclaimed Toph. "I want REAL earth under my feet again, thank you very much!" The comments earned a chuckle from Zuko, resulting in an attempted glare in his general direction. Aside from Sokka, the entire camp had pulled themselves around the impromptu fire to discuss what they needed to do once they got to the Southern Air Temple.

"We should probably go back to the chamber with the avatars," suggested Katara, still giving Zuko the cold shoulder.

"Chamber of Avatars?" asked Toph, thoroughly confused.

"Basically, it's a giant room with a lot of statues of dead Aangs," deadpanned Sokka, drawing bemusement from said bald youth.

"Do you really think that there are answers in there?" pondered Suki skeptically. In his mind, He was equally unsure of the plan, having been at the Southern Air Temple many years ago in his mad quest for his honour. His results had been fruitless then, and they might hit the same dead end.

"It's better to start there than anywhere else," he finally offered, satisfying the Kyoshi warrior and some of the others. Sokka went on to point out the Lion Turtle had moved at an almost godly speed, as he was certain that they were within a few hours from the Jungmu Temple by bison, claiming that he recognized the constellations last night. After finishing their hasty breakfast, and feeding the scraps to a restless Momo, the group packed up their makeshift camp. Within a few short minutes, Appa had taken to the air, giving a long growl of relief to be back in his native milieu. Zuko looked outward to the horizon, hoping to find answers in the clouds.

What he and the others had not expected to see was a full caravan of bison, surrounded by a few orange gliders, snaking across the sky.

* * *

Aang was flying around on his glider, without a care in the world. The caravan left for Omashu earlier that morning, and most of the younger monks were playing games, diving and trying to catch clouds. He was a bit sad that Gyatso had to stay and run the temple, but cloud catching was too much fun to keep him in such a sullen mood.

"Hey Aang!" called Javas, an aide to Monk Pasang who was about eighteen. "Bet I can dive faster than you in my sleep!"

"Oh yeah?" responded the younger monk, full of mirth, "Why don't we find out." He quickly angled his glider into the nearest cloudbank, diving at earth shattering speed. Hearing Javas further above him and not wanting to be left behind, he began to pull up. At that moment, something caught his eye before disappearing through the clouds. A sole bison was headed in the general direction of the air temple, sporting flashes of red, green, blue, and orange. 'Wonder how the four nations ended up on one bison,' he puzzled, only interrupted by his growling stomach. "Oh, looks like I need to go find Appa," he announced to himself, putting the bizarre image behind him.

* * *

Far below, Sokka looked absolutely speechless. Glancing over at Aang, he saw the boy's face had lost all colour at such an impossible sight. Leaning beside him, Suki mumbles, "That can't be possible." Only the sound of light winds hung in the air, but an oblivious earthbender managed to end that silence quickly.

"Um, Hello? Did somebody just die or something?" she declared.

"More like someone came back from the dead," stated Katara, her voice trembling.

"We need to get to the Temple fast," commanded the somber airbender, "Appa buddy, pick up speed." A low moan and rush of wind confirmed the bison's response to the command. Inside his head, his brain is sputtering. 'How? I…this isn't…we haven't seen any airbenders ever! This can't be happening.' When they had discovered Aang on the ice floe all those months ago, he still thought 'magic water' was a nuisance his sister used to bother him (and get him wet). Discovering the Avatar and all the subsequent incidents had rocked his boat, so to speak, but this was absolutely indescribable! This might be weird spirit magic, or more cactus juice, he concluded. 'Ah! Maybe the fruit we ate had something funny in it! That has to be it.' In his time pondering, he had not noticed that they crossed over a mountain crest and the Southern Air Temple greeted them. However it was what he saw around the temple that made his jaw drop. Orange gliders, flocks of bison and hoards of lemurs were seen circling, dancing through the sky around the ancient structure. On the ground, figures were moving around like small spiderants. The young warrior turned and faced his girlfriend, her eyes almost popping out of their sockets. The fact she saw the same sight he did confirmed only one thing:

"Definitely not Cactus juice."

* * *

Azula returned to consciousness slowly. At first, only a faint throbbing pain in her side, but slowly she began to make out sounds, smells and conscious thought. All she remembered wandering, unsure of where she was or who saw her. However, something felt out of place. Gone was the familiar heat of the airship as well as the rhythmic clang of its machinery. In its place, softer sounds of distant laughter, gentle breezes, and the occasional bird were buzzing around her ears. A strong musky smell laced with bizarre incense assaulted her nostrils. After much deliberation, she ventured to open her eyes, beholding one of the strangest sights she had ever seen.

She was in a small room made entirely of thick stone, yet it felt bright and airy inside. 'Why am I in such a lowly hovel?' thought the young princess. It contained very few items other than a flat bed, a small table full of assorted items, and a chair. Yet she paid little attention to these meagre things. It was the walls confused Azula far more than any of the objects in the room. They were painted with the light scenes of airbenders, spirits, sky bison, and stories unknown to the bewildered firebender. 'What ragtag group of lowlifes took me?' she pondered. Getting up to get a closer look, she felt a slight pain erupt, but ignored it nonetheless. She approached the murals, only to find they looked as if they were painted yesterday. Glancing at the table, she discovered even more strange objects. Rosaries, bowls with food and medicine, delicate texts with images of the body, and an orange kavi. The only time she had ever seen objects like these were in her history lessons when discussing Sozin's victory over the Air Nomads. Analyzing the situation she was in, she could only conclude that perhaps Sozin's campaign was not as successful as she would like to think. She heard movement outside the plain wooden door, and quickly steeled herself for her captors, ducking behind the doorframe to add the element of surprise. After a few moments, the air full of anticipation, the door opened and Azula made her move.

* * *

Uttara was assigned to take care of the injured girl the moment they touched down. For days, she had been hovering on the edge of death, but with all the patience and determination she could muster, Uttara brought the strange girl back from the dead. When she was younger, Uttara had been deathly ill herself, so she had learned to take care of herself in her youth. It was this learning that made her into a scholar, gathering every scrap of knowledge she could. Yet that very illness cursed her to remain at the Western Air Temple her whole life. At sixteen, she had not left the temple and its environs like most young airbenders would have by this point. She felt trapped.

"Even that girl travelled, albeit in some monster air machine," she thought bitterly. She longed for freedom. She wanted to prove that she was not that sickly girl she had been. This was why she snuck into the villages and towns near the temples. This was why she knew how to fight with kali sticks, learning slowly, but learning nonetheless. This was the reason she always carried said sticks in her robes, even though it broke her vows. While she was an airbender, her practice with weapons combined with her knowledge of katas and other forms, she was a defensive fighter at heart. Her superiors would probably dishonour her if they found out all the rules she broke, but she could care less. She thought Mother Dawa suspected her secrets, but always turned a blind eye to her secret 'sins'. Perhaps that was the reason she had been assigned to take care of the girl, to keep her out of trouble. As she approached the door, she began running through the checklist of her daily routine tending to her patient. Opening the door, she immediately noticed the bed was empty, and only had a split seconds notice to move out of the way, as barrage of blue fire came out from behind her. Spinning and dodging all she could, she brought out her kali sticks, to counter the girl's firebending. The fight became drawn out as her patient could barely keep up with the kalis, and she could barely move in time to avoid being burned. Both drew a stalemate, weapon and hand pointed at one another, Uttara backed up against the door. Finally her patient spoke, her voice smooth as silk.

"Well, I guess my grandfather didn't do as well as we're taught," she declared, leaving Uttara dumbfounded.

"And you are?" the airbender asked, hesitantly. She seemed highly offended at the sound of those words, as if Uttara along with the rest of the world was supposed to know who she was.

"I am Azula, Crown Princess of the Fire Nation," she announced. At this comment, the young airbender could not contain herself and broke down laughing.

**A.N.- Javas (Quick/Swift in Sanskrit), Uttara (Northern Star in Hindi); Both are OC's of mine; Both might come up later, one moreso than the other**

**Anyway**

**R&R**

**Enjoy**

**Cepheus**


	6. Illuminated Perception

******DISCLAIMER: The Characters of Avatar the Last Airbender do not belong to me and are the creative musings of Michael Dante Di Martino and Bryan Konietzko**

******A.N.-Sorry its been a while since I last updated. Life has a way of creeping up on you in ways you don't expect**

******I also kinda discovered 'Embers' by Vathara and realised I needed to make my 'villans/antiheros' more human so I had to make the story a little more AU than I originally thought**

******not to worry though, the plot is essentially still the same**

******Plus I couldn't find a way to write this chapter without making it like 10000 plus words, so I split it**

******enjoy**

**ILLUMINATED PERCEPTION**

Aang's mind was bordering on catatonic. Scenes of his life before the iceberg were dancing before of his eyes, even when he had seen this temple devoid of life less than a year ago. There was a plethora of emotions running through his head. Joy, confusion, sadness, and nostalgia; each emotion making everything more confusing to him. 'Didn't Avatar Yangchen say the answers to my problems would be here? Did she mean that I would find surviving airbenders? Ugh this is so confusing!' He turned back to the group and noticed that they were still silent, and Toph was firing off questions to break their stupor.

"Hello? Are you all sleeping or something? Cause I don't think that it works that way." Aang tried to respond, but was still wrapping his head around the stunning revelation. "You know not everyone can SEE when we're up in the air ya know!" exclaimed the flustered earthbender.

"Toph, um...well..." stammered Sokka.

"There are living breathing airbenders flying around the Southern Air Temple," stated Zuko flatly, making a great effort to keep his voice even. A round of hearty laughter from the girl only greeted his response. It took about a minute for her to calm down.

"Oh, you guys are good, but I'm sure you're trying too hard." Whatever words Toph had left to say, a young monk who had flown up and landed on the bison silenced them.

"Aang, what are you doing here? The caravan left like, right after sunrise," exclaimed the young airbender. Aang recognised him instantly. Sonam. He blanched at the sight of a face he knew died when the Fire Nation attacked. His mind was racing, unable to grasp what was happening. "Um, when's the funeral?" poked Sonam jokingly, glancing at the dumbstruck passengers. "You know Aang, I'm not sure Gyatso will like the last minute warning about the foreigners in the temple. Uh, hello? Earth to Aang?" Aang was cracking inside. First Sonam, now Gyatso, it could not be a coincidence. Yet he had to see this with his own eyes to believe it.

"Sonam," began Aang.

"WOAH, when'd your voice break? I mean you've been gone for like a few hours?" The airbender's humorous demeanour had lessened, and now edged on concern.

"Doesn't matter," replied Aang, clearly disturbed. "Go find Gyatso, and tell him that to meet me in the elders' garden." The other airbender nodded, completely confused by the order, but followed it anyway. Unfurling his glider, he took off toward the temple in a hurry.

"So what the hell is going on here?" asked an even more confused Toph. The others were finally beginning to break out of the silence that hung since the caravan sighting.

"I can honestly say, I have no idea," stated Suki. A few small words of agreement confirmed this was the consensus amongst the group.

"Where, did they come from?" pondered Zuko. Katara shot him an incredulous look, leaving him stammering to correct himself. "NO! I mean, not that way, 'cause I know that airbenders are born and such, but I meant what are they doing here?"

"Zuko," deadpanned Katara.

"Yes?"

"Shut up."

"Now now," offered Suki, sensing the rising tension, "He is pointing out the questions that are on everyone's mind right now, no need to for you to get all hissy. Next person to act like that's gonna get it from me." Her tone clearly silenced any dissention from Katara, and an awkward smile of gratitude from the Fire Nation Prince. Aang was half listening as he steered the bison towards the desired landing site, being careful after nearly everyone bar Sokka was disturbed by the steep vertical climb up towards the temple.

"So Aang," ventured Sokka.

"Yeah?"

"How did that airbender recognize you?" suspicion all over his face. Aang breathed a heavy sigh.

"He was one of my friends from the temple before I left." The shock uneasily returned, but only momentarily, as it was immediately replaced by a cacophony of confusion. Everyone was trying to make sense of the airbender's statement. In the midst of the jabbering, a short earthbender took in as much air as the high altitude would allow her and boomed, "QUIET!" Silence came instantly.

"Look. If we seem to be stuck somewhere that Aang's familiar with, he should be the one doin' the talking." The others glanced around and seemed to agree with the girl's words.

"But, we need to be ready to face whatever these jokers are up to. So, Aang lead the way!" The boy gave a stiff nod of agreement, and finally took the bison down to land in the garden he had asked for a meeting.

"Well here goes nothing," murmured Aang under his breath

* * *

A few hours had passed since Aang left with the delegation to Omashu. Other than their departure, the morning had gone as it usually would. Morning prayers, meditation, lessons to the younger benders and finally had Gyatso allowed himself to enjoy his light breakfast in the peace of his chambers. 'The younger monks can handle the Acolytes,' thought the elder monk to himself as he savoured a piece of fruit pie. A slammed door and a panting young airbender, looking extremely bewildered, quickly shattered his moment of bliss.

"Oh well," sighed Gyatso, "I suppose breakfast will have to wait. Young Sonam, is there something so urgent that must be addressed to me personally?"

"Yes," replied Sonam, finally catching his breath. "Aangcamebackoverthemountainrange, but he looked different and weird, like he wasn't wearing the same clothes as this morning, and he had a different staff, OH! And his voice sounded funn-"

"Calm down Sonam, you seemed to be distressed. You may be an airbender, but you need to breathe if you want me to understand," counselled the Elder. After a few deep breaths, filling his taxed lungs with a healthy dose of air, he began speaking once more.

"Aang came back to the temple accompanied by a bunch of outsiders, and he wants to meet you in the elder's garden." It was a dire announcement indeed. To ask for a meeting in the elder's garden meant that private urgent discussion was requested. Yet the first part of the announcement concerned Gyatso more so. He had never warned Aang to bring foreigners back to the temple, as he had never thought he never needed to. If anyone else found out of this broken taboo, it could be disastrous for the boy. The last outsider they let visit the temple was Roku and that had been a mistake Gyatso wished he-

'Now was not the time to think about the past,' he mentally reprimanded. Rising from his seat, he turned to the youth and smiled.

"Thank you Sonam, I shall be on my way. I'm sure you don't want to miss anymore of your day off do you?" The boy shook his head. "I thought so. Go on with your friends, and seize the day. You know what the _zabda _says."

"If you can do something today, then make sure it is done," he recited.

"Good," answered Gyatso, quite amused. "Now, go." The boy needed no words of encouragement to follow the last command, as he bolted for the courtyard in no time at all. Gyatso's thoughts then turned back to the matter at hand. Aang. What could the boy be up to if he needed to see him so urgently and in private? He continued down the corridor until he reached a bright doorway, revealing the clandestine alcove.

It was a garden maintained by the eldest monks, meticulously cared for, and truly a work of calm serenity. A shadow began to creep over some of the upper trees, and soon enough a massive sky bison descended out of the sky, atop which sat six youth, one carrying the cerulean tattoos of a master airbender. Something was definitely off thought the monk, as the boy before him appeared to be Aang, but he was not the happy carefree boy he had seen this morning. Here was a boy who was a little taller, leaner, and definitely not wearing the traditional saffron and yellow kavi of an acolyte. Even with all these differences, the boy's eyes shocked him most. They were stormy, as if they had seen much pain, sorrow, guilt, and held a sense of responsibility for some tragedy that he had not stopped.

This was not Aang, this was _Avatar_ Aang.

The silence held for several moments as the bison's passengers dismounted, bewildered and weary of their surroundings, none more so than the Fire Nation youth with an enormous scar, and the girl with cropped hair in brown rags. Gyatso was at a loss for words at the scene.

"Well, looks like there's another twinkletoes." All heads turned to the small girl, who seemed to be blind. The younger airbender's face was one of horror at the comment directed toward him.

"G-Gyatso?" the boy ventured. The question made Gyatso hold his breath. "Is that really you? I'm not dreaming?" 'What happened to this boy?' thought Gyatso worryingly.

"Yes, I am Gyatso, unless you know of another. I believe that if this were a dream, I would not have remembered eating fruit pie for breakfast." These words caused the boy to tear up. Without any hesitation, the boy took a massive leap propelling himself straight into the Monk! It took all his strength and some airbending to keep Gyatso from falling over as Aang (or the boy he believed was Aang), began sobbing into his chest. This caught Gyatso off guard, but it did confirm his suspicions. No other child would have reacted that way to his presence.

Looking up from the sobbing child, he noticed the expressions of Aang's companions. Horror, confusion, dread, sadness, and shock seemed to mix as they let their own guard down. The monk cleared his throat, resulting in Aang snapping his head up at his teacher.

"Aang," reprimanded Gyatso gently, "You know very well that foreigners must be approved of beforehand. Why would you bring them now? Where did you even find them? I didn't think you could gather a crowd such as this in the few hours since you left for Omashu."

"Omashu?" asked the boy, "Is it High Spring, Gyatso?"

"Yes Aang, why would you ask that?" the elder monk's brow furling.

"Master Gyatso, sir?" He turned his head to see the girl dressed in rich blue, carrying a water pouch at her side. _Southern Water Tribe_ he thought.

"Your name child?" he said, patiently.

"Katara, sir."

"Katara. What does Aang mean by asking if it is high spring?"

"Well sir," she began, "We left the Western Air Temple during what the murals called 'Summer Descendant,' sir." This comment weighed heavier on the airbender than Katara had realised. Aang has been with him the whole time, occasionally heading to the Fire Nation and the Earth Kingdom, and not to mention the one time he went to get Appa at the Eastern Air Temple. However, Gyatso was certain Aang had not been to the Western Air Temple since the time he was an infant and was brought over to the South. This girl implied they left during Summer Descendant, the last month before the Holy Month of the Autumn Sky. That would have been over nine months ago. Something did not add up.

"So you have travelled for nine months?" he asked.

"From the Western Air Temple? No, we left the Western Air Temple a week ago," she answered with no hint of deception in her voice. Turning to the dark skinned boy she asked, "Sokka how long has it been since we left the South Pole?" The pale boy with the large scar finally spoke up.

"Nine months," he said flatly. She whipped her head back toward the boy shouting, "Who asked you?"

"I was there when you guys first found Aang." That statement was equally confusing to Gyatso. When had Aang been to the South Pole? How had they met the boy if he never remembered letting Aang venture too far.

"Ok so now that we know we're not on cactus juice, is someone going to break the news?" The boy with the wolf tail he supposed was Sokka finally stated.

"Well, don't you think that he'll take it pretty badly?" asked the girl dressed in prisoner's clothing.

"Ok then if everyone's to chicken to tell master twinkletoes here, I'll say it. A hundred years ago, Aang ran away from home, ran into a storm, went all glowy and got locked up in an iceberg. Fast forward and according to sweetness and boomerang over here, they accidentally found said iceberg and Aang. So they bring him back to their village and Sparky over here," pointing to Zuko, "chases them down demanding they hand over the Avatar, and the rest is pretty much a Wild Goose Chase to the North Pole then to Ba Sing Se, and all the way over to the Western Air Temple. In the mean time they pick me up, Sparky apologizes, and we rescue Sokka's girlfriend from a Fire Nation Prison." Gyatso looked extremely perplexed but allowed her to continue.

"So then Sparky's crazy sister, who's the Fire Lord's daughter, attacked us and we had to escape and we ran into another storm, almost died, Aang went golden and we landed on a lion turtle. Aang had some vision and now were here." The monk was extremely confused since Aang had not run away from the temple, but could what she was saying even be true?

"Prove that you're from the future," he stated barely batting an eyelash. They hesitated until the girl in brown rags' eyes lit up.

"Aang, use your bending! No not your airbending," she continued after the avatar shot her a confused look.

"Remember that's how you proved you were the avatar on Kyoshi Island? Do that with your other skills now!"

Giving her a curt nod, he took a step back from Gyatso. Then he jumped into a kata that was definitely not airbending. Sure enough, a ribbon of water surfaced out of a small pool in the corner and was drawn towards Aang before he brought it and shot it straight into the ground. Gyatso was wide-eyed, staring at his pupil as he shifted into an earthbender's stance. A round boulder rose from where the water had dropped, and was joined by others. He directed them a different spots in the courtyard, before drawing them back into the ground. He finally pulled himself into a series of movements as fluid as a dragon in flight, flames dancing around the boy before vanishing.

Gyatso was left completely aghast. The Aang he knew left this morning as a carefree airbender. This boy was nearly a fully realised Avatar! He could not have learned that in mere hours. Even nine months seemed impossibly short, but it fit more with what he saw before his eyes.

"Aren't you people also forgetting something? Something kind of IMPORTANT?" mentioned Katara.

"Like what?" said Toph, appearing oblivious to what the girl meant.

"Gee, I don't know. Maybe the fact that SOZIN USED THE COMET TO MURDER EVERY AIRBENDER UNDER THE GREAT BLUE SKY AND DECLARED A HUNDRED YEAR WAR ON THE REST OF THE WORLD!" she realised what she said and covered her mouth out of shock. Those words hung in the air for a moment before Aang finally spoke again.

"Gyatso shortly after I got back from Omashu, the monks wanted to take me away from you so I left. I got lost in a storm and ended up frozen for a hundred years. Everything my friends said is true." Aang was only ever somber when a hard truth smacked him in the face. It was this final statement that confirmed everything to Gyatso, and so he pulled the boy tightly for another hug, allowing himself to shed tears over the grave news. Before he realised what had happened, Aang's companions surrounded him in a warm embrace, some shedding tears of their own. Gyatso eventually pulled from the group and composed himself.

"Come to my quarters. I cannot let too many people see you here." Most nodded in agreement and he assumed the shrug from the blind girl meant she concurred. Whisking them through the hallway, he could only wonder what other news would be dropped on him today.

* * *

Uttara could not keep herself under control. After hearing the most bald-faced lie on earth, who would? Even she, who lived under a rock, knew that Firelord Sozin had only one son.

AZULON. Emphasis on the 'on'.

This girl claimed to be the firelord's daughter. What a joke! Yet the expression on her face was not. She went from surprise to violent anger, sending a blast of blue flame in Uttara's direction. Fortunately for her, she managed to duck out of the way before the flames burnt any part of her body. She kept her Kali sticks pointed at the girl as a safety measure.

"What bit you? You're the one sprouting lies," spat Uttara, frustration showing.

"LIES!?" The girl looked incredulous. "I AM THE HEIR OF FIRELORD OZAI OF THE FIRE NATION! WHO ARE YOU, PEASANT, TO SAY OTHERWISE?"

"Peasant?" she asked. "One, I am not Fire Nation so I am not a 'peasant'. Two, everyone knows that there is no Firelord Ozai. Firelord SOZIN rules the Fire Nation, and I don't think that you are crown prince Azulon, since he can barely even walk yet." It was 'Azula's' turn to laugh.

"When you said you live under a rock," she cackled, "you really must've meant it. Sozin's been dead for eighty years!" The airbender was even more confused by the girl. Was she hallucinating? Did we need to get the healer's to follow the air currents in her mind to see what on earth was happening? Her thinking had not let her notice that the other girl's face form into a malicious grin.

"How about you do me a favour?" she asked, a glint in her eye.

"What would that be?"

"You've lived here, locked away from the rest of the world, but I'm guessing you're not happy about it, are you?" Her true emotion leaked through for just a second, but it was enough for the other girl to take it. "Ah, I thought so. You see I need to get back to the Fire Nation Capital, and since I seem to have lost all means of transport, I was wondering if you could get me a way out of this place." Her silky voice hit its target head on. Uttara was dying to leave the Air Temple and see the world, but how could she? She may have had a bison, but she had not ridden her for very long.

"You seem very conflicted about it," said Azula offhandedly.

"I am," she admitted.

"I am patient. Give it a few days to think it over. I'll be waiting for a response." The firebender sat back down on the bed, seemingly tired.

"Oh, I also ask you not reveal this to anyone else, or I might as well announce that you carry Kali Sticks in your robes, which I believe is forbidden?" That last threat caused Uttara's heart to race as she forced her weapons back up her sleeves. 'This girl knew how to mess with your mind' she thought, finally looking at the desecrated contents of the tray she brought in. She reached over to collect it glancing over to the 'princess' who had made herself comfortable in bed.

"Oh, don't mind me. Just carry on as you normally would," she smiled, sounding almost innocent.

"I need to go get some food for you, so I'll be right back." Uttara was still nervous and wanted an excuse to get out of the room as soon as possible.

"Certainly. If you have any fire flakes, I want a large bowl of them." The airbender nodded, and she quickly shut the door, releasing a breath she did not know was there. Standing there to let her heart calm down, she wondered who the girl was and more importantly, whether she was human or not. She began walking down the hallway when Mother Dawa turned the corner and was coming down the hall in her direction. Uttara quickened her pace, hoping the other nun would not notice her, but this proved fruitless when she received an acknowledging glance.

"Uttara, I trust the patient is doing well?"

"Yes, she's finally woken up. She's a real fighter if you know what I mean," she muttered, hoping the double entendre would not fall on deaf ears.

"She must be indeed, given that she seems to have eaten most of her food and medicine," mentioned the elder nun as she gestured toward the tray Uttara held.

"Yes, I'm off to get some more. She seemed completely unsatisfied with her current condition and hungered for more."

"Well, you know where the kitchen is. See that she gets some," replied Mother Dawa.

"Yes Mother Dawa," she muttered, giving her elder a slight bow before continuing.

"Well, at least the spirits haven't messed with me," she whispered treasonously, hoping she had not just condemned herself with her own words.


End file.
